(Digital Journal) The phrase “dirty money” may have different meanings, but in terms of microbiology, a surprisingly high percentage of bank notes carry high numbers of pathogenic bacteria.

Handing over money or receiving change is a significant means of passing germs, according to a new study. Habip Gedik at the Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, and his colleagues in the Netherlands investigated how well bacteria survived on seven currencies: the euro, U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, Moroccan dirham, Croatian kuna, Romanian leu and Indian rupee.